House of Earth and Blood

Book facts

What I loved

• Easy-to-read writing style
• Strong emotional moments. SJM knows how to make emotional scenes hit, and a few moments genuinely worked for me.
• A clever mystery that kept me curious
• The last 100 pages. It genuinely felt like a completely different book. The action ramped up, the twists kept coming, and there were plenty of surprises.
• Plot twists and reveals that made the ending much more engaging than the beginning

The highlights

• The final stretch of the book. After a very slow start, the story finally came alive.
• Several twists and surprises that kept me turning the pages
• The emotional execution. Even when I wasn't fully invested in the world, I still connected with some of the emotional moments.

Characters

• Bryce was the character I found most interesting. Her grief and emotional journey carried much of the story for me.
• A few side characters stood out, but overall I struggled to connect with most of the cast.
• The relationships were enjoyable enough to keep me invested, though they weren't strong enough to make up for the pacing issues.

What didn't work

• The pacing. It took almost 600 pages before I felt truly invested. While the ending was exciting, the journey to get there felt far too long.
• The worldbuilding felt chaotic rather than immersive. There were so many creatures, hierarchies, magical systems, and political structures that I eventually stopped trying to understand them. Instead of becoming more invested in the world, I found myself caring less about it as the book progressed.
• The book felt unnecessarily long. Large sections could have been condensed without losing anything important. In my opinion, this story could easily have been 300 pages shorter.
• The magic system was confusing. There were so many different powers, creatures, and rules that I never felt like I had a clear understanding of how everything worked together.
• Several plot holes pulled me out of the story.
• Micah's downfall felt surprisingly underwhelming. For such a powerful villain, the way everything unfolded felt too convenient. The classic villain confession scene also came across as cliché and unrealistic.
• I struggled to connect with many of the characters, which made the slower sections feel even longer.

My final thoughts

• The ending delivered the action, twists, and surprises I had been waiting for.
• The mystery was engaging, and SJM's emotional writing remains one of her biggest strengths.
• Unfortunately, the pacing, confusing worldbuilding, and excessive length made this a frustrating reading experience at times.
• Out of all the Sarah J. Maas books I've read so far, this is currently my least favorite.
• Even so, I enjoyed it enough to continue the series. I've already bought the next two books, and I'm hoping they move faster and build on the strong foundation created in the final 100 pages.